The Los Angeles Lakers, despite being a first-round exit in this year's playoffs, became the talk of the town this past week when reports of their hot pursuit of UConn head coach Dan Hurley came out via Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. The Lakers even went as far as to offer a six-year, $70 million deal to try and lure Hurley to Hollywood, but instead, Hurley decided to return to UConn in a bid for a historic national championship three-peat.

Now, the Lakers are back to square one in their search for the team's next head coach. JJ Redick has resurfaced as the frontrunner in the aftermath of Hurley's rejection of the Purple and Gold. But for Stephen A. Smith, he wants the Lakers to cast a wider net in their coaching search, as in addition to Redick, he wants them to consider bringing in the veteran knowhow of either Mark Jackson or Jeff Van Gundy, his former colleagues at ESPN.

“I think Mark Jackson should be in consideration, I think Jeff Van Gundy should be given consideration as well. They both know how to coach, they’re both experienced, they both know how to deal with players, they both have the capability of planning for the future while providing structure and stability in a forward moving way from the coaches box,” Smith said on ESPN's First Take.

In addition to the reasons Stephen A. Smith outlines above, he also believes that Jackson or Van Gundy will be able to command the respect of the Lakers locker room. Nonetheless, the ESPN talking head acknowledged that it's rather unlikely for either to warrant serious consideration.

“They ain’t going to take any crap from anybody either,” Smith added. “[But] I know he doesn’t have a snow balls chance in hell and I don’t think it’s fair.”

It has been a while since Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy have been the head coach of an NBA team. Jackson hasn't been part of an NBA bench since 2014, while it has been nearly two decades (17 years) since Van Gundy has been a head coach. But with the two no longer being part of ESPN's commentary booth, it may be time for them to return. But will the Lakers be the team that gives them that opportunity?

Dissecting the merits of a potential Mark Jackson or Jeff Van Gundy hiring for the Lakers

Mark Jackson has been in the running for a few coaching jobs ever since the Warriors relieved him of his duties 10 years ago. Jackson's reputation as a head coach, however, isn't exactly the best. It hasn't helped matters at all that the Warriors emerged and became the dynasty we came to know them as after Steve Kerr replaced him.

The rumors regarding Jackson's coaching style also does not help matters at all. Jackson reportedly pitted the Warriors' players against each other, with Jackson fabricating stories rooted in intra-locker room division under the guise of motivating his team. Moreover, Jackson also resorted to a bit of mysticism with his handling of injuries, while he also clashed with the Warriors front office during his time with the team.

Jeff Van Gundy does not have the off-court baggage that Mark Jackson has, but teams have passed on him in their coaching searches on multiple occasions. Van Gundy certainly had more success than Jackson as a head coach; it was him who coached the New York Knicks from the mid-to-late 1990s, and he even helped the team to their most recent trip to the NBA Finals.

A string of first-round exits with the Houston Rockets crushed Van Gundy's coaching reputation. He has flourished in the ESPN commentary booth since the Rockets fired him in 2007, and some have still seen value in what he can bring to the table, as evidenced by the Boston Celtics' decision to bring him in as a senior consultant to the basketball operations division.

The Lakers, however, appear hell-bent on bringing in a fresh voice instead of a veteran coaching option, which means that Jackson and Van Gundy may be nothing more than wishful thinking candidates for Stephen A. Smith.

Back to square one for LA

For most of the Lakers' coaching search this offseason, JJ Redick has been the main candidate to succeed Darvin Ham as the team's next head coach. The Lakers are taking their time in making their decision, and they are ambitious when it comes to the man they want to helm the team for the foreseeable future.

Dan Hurley may eventually re-explore a move to the NBA, which is likely should UConn dominate the nation yet again. Hiring a coach is most often a multi-year commitment, so it'll be interesting to see how the Lakers proceed as the thought of eventually hiring Hurley sticks in the back of their minds.